An NFL logo on a goal post cushion is shown before an NFL game. / LM Otero, AP

by Jim Corbett, USA TODAY Sports

by Jim Corbett, USA TODAY Sports

Recreational marijuana use was legalized by Colorado and Washington voters in constitutional amendments Tuesday, but the NBA and NFL, which has teams in those states, voiced the same sentiment as anti-pot Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, who warned people not to "break out the Cheetos or Goldfish too quickly.''

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told USA TODAY Sports that though Colorado's Amendment 64 and Washington's similar measure allow individuals to possess up to one ounce of marijuana and grow up to six plants in there homes, "Marijuana remains prohibited under the NFL substance abuse program.''

So, the message is simple: No matter what state law says, light up a joint and a sports career can go up in smoke.

Possession of an ounce of marijuana by Broncos and Seahawks is legal in both states for players over 21. But does that mean they can light up?

Former Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe, a member of the Hall of Fame, told USA TODAY Sports that loosening the league and NFLPA's collectively bargained substance abuse policy that mandates suspensions for using the drug won't change any time soon because it sends the wrong message.

"That will never happen. Not in our lifetime, because of the way kids follow what NFL players do,'' said Sharpe, a CBS analyst. "If you look at Little League football, kids who play want to wear the pink towels and shoes for breast cancer awareness ... they follow everything the big guys do.

"The voters have spoken in Colorado. They don't think to a certain degree, the amount is a big deal. They voted and said so. But I don't see the NFL, basketball or baseball condoning it.''

Former six-time Pro Bowl lineman Nate Newton, an analyst for 103.3 ESPN/Dallas, who had two brushes with marijuana possession, has since turned his life and insists the league will be forced to change as more states adapt legalization.

"You cannot stop it,'' Newton, a former Dallas Cowboy, told USA TODAY Sports. "Once the 48 (contiguous) states legalize it, what can college or pros do then -- tell players they can't do it? Come on, man. That's a joke.

"Say 25 states legalize it: That's going to cover over half of the NFL. How is the league going to stop that? Players will find a way: 'Oh, I need this for this medical condition. I've got glaucoma, whatever lies they need.'''

Question is, will suspensions -- sometimes up to four games for repeat offenders -- remain as high as more and more states pass new, more forgiving, laws on pot.

"There are a lot of things that are legal outside of the NFL -- Ephedera, Adderal. There are certain things you can take as a normal citizen walking around the street that are legal,'' Sharpe said. "It sends the wrong message.''

In November, 2001, St. Martin Parish, La., police arrested Newton after he was found to have 213 pounds of marijuana during a traffic stop in his van. Five weeks later, he was stopped in Texas and arrested after a search of his vehicle found 175 pounds of marijuana. He was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for drug trafficking.

He now talks to kids about his past and says it's just a matter of time before the NFL and NFLPA must reflect real life.

"The league can control it as long it's not a predominant thing in each state,'' Newton said. "But why would they fight that? They would go right to court and lose. They don't want to lose cases. They're not going to fight that.''

Asked about Newton's take, Sharpe responded with a line befitting his surname:

"The amount of marijuana Nate, had -- 400 pounds -- is going to be illegal on the Moon, Mars, Japan, illegal anywhere.''